The holiday season brings friends and families together to celebrate traditions and enjoy each other’s company. We find many occasions to eat, drink and be merry. In order to keep the holiday occasions from running away with your diet and exercise commitments you need to have a plan.

EAT

1. Trim the calories by trimming back on the trimmings. Go easy when adding nuts, cheese, cream sauces, gravy, butter, and whipped cream to your home cooked meals.
2. Keep “free” snacks and beverages handy at home (a Jody Victorsuggestion). Low-calorie treats like raw veggies will help you satisfy the munchies.
3. Chew sugar-free gum to keep you from nibbling while cooking.
4. Eat normally on the day of a party. Skipping meals to save up calories tends to make you overeat later.
5. When you arrive at a party grab a sparkling water with a twist or a bottle of flavored water and wait at least 30 minutes before eating. Get comfortable with your surroundings. Relax before you circle the buffet.
6. Wear snug clothes to a party to help keep you standing and moving around. Just tight enough to make sitting a bit uncomfortable.
7.  Avoid the appetizers. If you must indulge in the appetizers, try to stick to the “free” ones.
8. Be a food snob. If you don’t love an item on the buffet table, don’t eat it (a Jody Victorsuggestion). Eat the dishes you truly enjoy and skip the every day dishes that are available all year long.
9. Limit the variety. Variety stimulates appetite. Put only two items on your plate at a time. If you return to the table, stick to only two items again.
10. Hang out with the kids. If all the adults are circling the table enjoy what the kids are doing. Chances are good that their energy level and activities will offer you a distraction from grazing.

DRINK

1. Cut your alcohol calories in half by alternating alcohol with non-alcohol beverages. Alcoholic drinks are loaded with calories, especially eggnog.
2. Keep your drink in your dominant hand. This will make it harder for you to grab food without thinking.

BE MERRY

1. Throw a holiday party yourself. As the host or hostess you will get your share of activity preparing for the event.
2. Add fun and games to your party (a Jody Victorsuggestion). The best parties include activities that take the focus off the food and get the guests moving. Dancing and charades are good party activities.
3. Go Christmas shopping. Walk around the mall.
4. Park your car a good distance from the building to add more walking to your shopping trip.
5. Take your kids and pets for a long walk around your neighborhood after dark to view the holiday lights. Take a flashlight and wear light-colored clothing.
6. Grab some friends and go caroling.
7. Enjoy the outdoors. Build a snowman or go sledding in the north. In the south, play horseshoes or beanbag toss.
8. Bake some holiday bread. The kneading of the dough is good exercise.
9. Pace yourself to manage your stress. Set reasonable goals for each day and don’t worry about having to carry some over.
10. If you find yourself on top of things and cruising through the season volunteer at a soup kitchen or help wrap gifts for needy families. Sign up at your church for a volunteer activity. It’ll do your heart good!

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Christmas is a time of joy and spur-of-the-moment happenings! But don't get so caught up you forget to be safe too! Here are some suggestions from Jody Victor  to make your holidays safe as well as happy.

FRESH TREE SAFETY

1. If you prefer a natural tree, choose one that is truly fresh. A fresh tree has flexible needles that bend and do not break. The trunk should contain sap. A fresh tree will not lose its needles when you tap it on the ground.
2. Cut one inch off the trunk to help the tree absorb water.
3. Leave the tree outside until you are ready to decorate it.
4. Use a tree stand that has a water reservoir.
5. Tree stand should be large and sturdy enough to prevent accidental tipping.
6. Fill water reservoir daily.
7. Do not put fresh tree near any heat sources such as registers or fireplaces and even televisions.
8. When tree becomes dry, dispose of it properly. Do not leave a dry tree in the house or garage.

ARTIFICIAL TREE SAFETY

1. Artificial trees are considered much safer and cleaner.
2. Purchase an artificial tree that is flame-resistant.
3. If artificial tree is pre-lit, make sure the lights have the seal of an approved safety-testing laboratory such as the Underwriters Laboratory (UL).
4. Never use electric lights on a metal tree. If the lights are defective they can charge the tree with electricity, causing injury or even electrocution.

TREE LIGHTS and ORNAMENT SAFETY

1. Use only lights that have been certified by a safety-testing laboratory such as UL.
2. Use miniature lights that have cool-burning bulbs.
3. Link together no more than three strands of lights.
4. Avoid overloading outlets and extension chords.
5. Place extension chords along walls to avoid trips. Do not run them under rugs or carpet.
6. Do not place breakable tree ornaments or ones with small removable parts near the bottom of the tree to safeguard against choking of small children or pets.
7. Turn off tree lights when you leave the house or go to bed.

FIREPLACE SAFETY (a Jody Victor favorite)

1. Make sure your fireplace is clean and in good working order. Make sure the flue is open.
2. Before lighting fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area.
3. Use care with “fire salts”, which produce colored flames when thrown into wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten.
4. Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as they can ignite suddenly and burn intensely.
5. Dispose of fireplace ashes in a metal container until cold.
6. Install smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector.
7. Have a fire extinguisher handy.

CANDLE SAFETY

1. Place candles in sturdy, non-flammable containers.
2. Never use candles on fresh or artificial trees.
3. Extinguish candles before leaving the house or going to bed.

OUTDOOR LIGHTS SAFETY

1. Use only UL-approved outdoor lights for the outside of your home.
2. Use only outdoor extension chords for outdoor lights.
3. Keep outdoor electrical connectors above the ground and out of puddles and snow.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

Nuts are definitely one of my favorite snacks! Almost any kind of nut will satisfy my snacking need. And the good news is - most nuts are good for you! Even though nuts have a high fat content they are comprised mostly of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Raw nuts are also complemented by a lot of protein, making them a great snack for workout buffs. The best way to eat nuts is by the handful (roughly one ounce). One ounce gives you just enough of the protein without too many calories.

ALMONDS Of all the nuts almonds have the most going for them. They are high in protein, fiber, vitamin E and magnesium. Their monounsaturated fat boosts heart health.

164 calories per ounce

6 g protein

6 g carbs

14 g fat

3 g fiber

BRAZIL NUTS These nuts are a bit higher in fat and lower in carbs than other nuts. They are loaded with selenium, a mineral that helps regulate thyroid function. One ounce of Brazil nuts contains 10x the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of selenium.

184 calories per ounce

4 g protein

3 g carbs

19 g fat

2 g fiber

CASHEWS (a Jody Victor favorite) Cashews have slightly less fat/calories than other nuts but they are much higher in carbs. Basically taste is the only thing cashews have going for them over other nuts.

157 calories per ounce

5 g protein

9 g carbs

12 g fat

1 g fiber

PEANUTS Peanuts are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat and are very high in protein. Eating peanuts instead of peanut butter avoids added sugar and trans fats.

161 calories per ounce

7 g protein

5 g carbs

14 g fat

2 g fiber

WALNUTS (a Jody Victor favorite) One ounce of walnuts provides nearly all the omega-3 fatty acids you need in a day. They also have heart healthy benefits affecting elasticity of blood vessels and improving the ratio of good-bad cholesterol.

185 calories per ounce

4 g protein

4 g carbs

19 g fat

2 g fiber

All the Best!

Steve Victor